When a trailer is connected to a vehicle, there is an inevitable addition of weight to the rear of the vehicle. The added weight can alter the handling of the vehicle due to the imbalance of weight from the front to the rear. Trailer weight distribution systems have been designed to address these problems by restoring even balance across all axles of the vehicle and trailer. Their aim is to enable the vehicle to be driven at the maximum legal speed while not compromising on safety.
A trailer weight distribution system is made up of the ball mount, spring/torsion bars (spring bars and torsion bars are both common and acceptable terminology for the same item and will be referred to as spring bars hereafter) and trailer frame mounted brackets. The trailer frame mounted brackets are installed directly to the trailer frame using tools and once installed remain in place for the life of the trailer weight distribution system. The ball mount and spring bars, however, will likely be removed from the vehicle and trailer when not in use.
The need to remove the ball mount and spring bars when the trailer weight distribution system is not in use can create issues for the system owners, especially when being used with a recreational vehicle, where oftentimes once the vehicle reaches campsite or home the owner will want to disconnect the towing vehicle from the trailer. This creates the issue of where to store the ball mount and spring bars while the towing vehicle and trailer are disconnected. While at home, an owner may store these components in their garage, but this type of storage facility will be unavailable when not at home.
These systems are expensive and universal, therefore, the ball mounts and spring bars are susceptible to theft. Therefore, an owner will want these components properly secured to prevent damage as well.
Additionally, the ball mounts and spring bars are bulky and oftentimes coated in grease and oil. For this reason storage of these components in the trunk of the towing vehicle or inside the recreational vehicle is not ideal.
Finally, trailer weight distribution systems are available in several different designs including: round spring bars, trunnion spring bars where the trunnion is attached to the bar, trunnion spring bars where the trunnion head is fixed to the ball mount.